Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1887-10-13
IriHsA Jar The Courier Journal
UNDER TWO Flags.

When the lurid clouds Of conflict
Burst o er the dauntlcss SOuths
And armies hurled their thunde
From the cannOn's ti9mlng mouth
When Donaldson and Henry fell,
Their brasOn gates unclaspcd-
And death at Shiloh snatched
The victory Johnston grasped;
When Jackson swept the valley, ~
The cyclone sweeps the plain,
And Robert Lee from Richmond drove
Mcclellan 10 the main
Old Stonewall wheels his serrie'l flies
And marched with every gun,
And another host confronted
With Pope az Cedar Rus.
Jeb Stuart and his cavaliers
Were posted Oh the ri-ht,
And Buford, with his men in blue,
Opened there the fight.
A trumpet softly sounded-,hen
4 fierce and wilder peal,
And, through the hooded skirmishers,
A wave of glttering steel
Swept back the Southern column to the
Very woodlands marge,
And bore off from the gallant sixth
Their colors in the charge
At the rough discontinue
The Colonel grimly laughed,
And sought 10 hide beneath q smile
The wound his spirit ch5led-
But when he heard the yiclOrs. OF
The flag in triumph bore,
He rose up in his saddle, shook
His sword and roundly swore-
Twas then the cOlOr-bearer said
A brave youth, filter far
To grace some lovely lady's train
Than these rude scenes Of war
1T was all my fault, dear Colonel, -
He paused-then proudly cried,
III win back that hOnored flag
And the starry one beside
Again the bugle sounded, and
Amid the canlOn's roar,
With wells the Southern squadrOns
Down the front of battle bore.
The vibration of a thousand hoofs
Shook the yerdant sweep,
And a thousand flashing sabers
From out their scabbards leap
Swung high in fierce collision
They crossed with deafening clang,
As if rubal Cain and Vulcan
Their mighty anvils rang.
Through the Surging waves Of conflict
The color bearer sprung,
And seized the Northern standard
Where his own in durance hung,
With pistol-shot and saber thrust
More angry grew the fray,
And now the Yanks were beaten back,
And now the men in gray
Until at length the Horseshoe Knights
Hem in with Southern steel,
The men in blue and charging home,
The Northern legions wheel
And break in wild disorder DER
The fated field, aglare
With bursting shell and shrapnell
Rending column, file and square
With the setting sun and victory,
The bugles sounded rally,
And 10 the weary horsencn gray
Were gathered in the valley.
With his rescued banner and
Another bravely won,
To where the vet ran Colonel stood
Beside . broken gun
Rode the color bearer slowly,
His life blood ebbing fast,
And reeling on his wounded steed
They both went down at last.
His comrades pressed around him
Where he fell and dying lay,
And bent with sorrow o Ter him
Who honored most the gray.
Then clear the hero's voice rang out:
This is the day for Rome,
But I will never see again
The dear, dear ones at home;
Yet. Colonel Mumford, tell them in
These gray and honored rags
fell upon this hard.won field
Beneath tjCo nations flags.
A score of years has passed since theE,
And yet the waters flow
And murmur by the soldiers grave,
Where summer daisies grow.
Two rude flags-some cOmrade true
Carved on a limestone gray
The legend tells-and where
The color-bearer lay.
III u R,iscnf